CGRRF1 as a novel biomarker of tissue response to metformin in the context of obesity

•CGRRF1 is significantly induced in obese endometrium after treatment with the insulin-sensitizing drug metformin.•Overexpressing CGRRF1 inhibits endometrial cancer cell proliferation and cell cycle progression.•CGRRF1 may be clinically useful as a novel tissue marker of metformin response in prevention or treatment of endometrial cancer.

ObjectiveObesity-associated hyperestrogenism and hyperinsulinemia contribute significantly to the pathogenesis of endometrial cancer. We recently demonstrated that metformin, a drug long used for treatment of type 2 diabetes, attenuates both insulin- and estrogen-mediated proliferative signaling in the obese rat endometrium. In this study, we sought to identify tissue biomarkers that may prove clinically useful to predict tissue response for both prevention and therapeutic studies. We identified CGRRF1 (cell growth regulator with ring finger domain 1) as a novel metformin-responsive gene and characterized its possible role in endometrial cancer prevention.MethodsCGRRF1 mRNA expression was evaluated by RT-qPCR in the endometrium of obese and lean rats, and also in normal and malignant human endometrium. CGRRF1 levels were genetically manipulated in endometrial cancer cells, and its effects on proliferation and apoptosis were evaluated by MTT and Western blot.ResultsCGRRF1 is significantly induced by metformin treatment in the obese rat endometrium. In vitro studies demonstrate that overexpression of CGRRF1 inhibits endometrial cancer cell proliferation. Analysis of human endometrial tumors reveals that CGRRF1 expression is significantly lower in hyperplasia, Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3, MMMT, and UPSC endometrial tumors compared to normal human endometrium (p < 0.05), suggesting that loss of CGRRF1 is associated with the presence of disease.ConclusionCGRRF1 represents a novel, reproducible tissue marker of metformin response in the obese endometrium. Furthermore, our preliminary data suggests that up-regulation of CGRRF1 expression may prove clinically useful in the prevention or treatment of endometrial cancer.